Big Island Of Hawaii Master Thread

[sky121]

What Hawaiian island has more?

How many things do you need to do? It's not quantity, is it?

[PBaruch]

I think the easiest way to sum it up is that Kauai is prettier, but the Big Island is more interesting.

Yah, the only interesting thing that happened to me on Kauai is that my jeep blew up. 

[PBaruch]

How many things do you need to do? It's not quantity, is it?

Its not quantity - its variety and some of the things that the BI offers can't be found elsewhere with such easy accessibility. 

[Ell Eee]

to sum it up, where would you suggest a first timer to go? which island? i would say BI is a must

[sky121]

to sum it up, where would you suggest a first timer to go? which island? i would say BI is a must

It would depend on the person and what they are looking for and what they appreciate.

[Something Fishy]

to sum it up, where would you suggest a first timer to go? which island? i would say BI is a must

Why not both Kauai and the BI?

[PBaruch]

Why not both Kauai and the BI?

Wouldn't that depend on time constraints?  I wouldn't recommend less than a week in either place. 

[Ell Eee]

in my situation i flew in to HNL, so i had all islands on my option list (was only able to choose one) if i meet anyone in the same position i think BI is the choice

[Dan]

in my situation i flew in to HNL, so i had all islands on my option list (was only able to choose one) if i meet anyone in the same position i think BI is the choice

I'd rank them
Kauai
Maui
BI
Oahu

But that's me.
BI technically does have more to do (it's BIG!), but I appreciate the green lushness and fresh Vog-free air of LIH and OGG more than that.  And there's more than enough on LIH/OGG to occupy a week.

[Bosco]

I think the easiest way to sum it up is that Kauai is prettier , but the Big Island is more interesting.

That's why I'm a little concerned. I feel like the fact that it's not as pretty and lacks the nice hotels and resorts the others have, that might put a damper on my vacation. Should I not be concerned about that? I also don't love the fact that I wot be able to use points for hotels (wanna stay on Hilo side tues to fri and fri to mon morning near Chabad).

[Bosco]

The whole reason I want to go to the BI is that it seems like there's a ton to do and, with such a broad spectrum, I feel like you can't go wrong. But I'm scared that the likely rainy Hilo weather, coupled with subpar/expensive lodging may take away from the trip.

[Bosco]

Why not both Kauai and the BI?

I'm there Tuesday afternoon to Monday morning. Dan suggested spend all our time in the BI.

[PBaruch]

The whole reason I want to go to the BI is that it seems like there's a ton to do and, with such a broad spectrum, I feel like you can't go wrong. But I'm scared that the likely rainy Hilo weather, coupled with subpar/expensive lodging may take away from the trip.

Enough has been said.  Make your own decisions and/or mistakes.

[PBaruch]

Howdy to all.  Here is a trip report from my recent stay on the Big Island, my favorite place on the planet.

We arrived on a Sunday evening and our first stop was at the local Kona WM.  While Mrs. PBaruch did some shopping, I took the opportunity to do my thing (you all know what that is) - everything went off perfectly.  Our second stop was at Chabad - Rabbi Chazanow, where we picked up dinner and some food for the week.  A big thank you to Rabbi and Rebbetzin Chazanow for the delicious food and all of your help.  You greatly enhance our vacations.  Then off to Volcano where we stayed for 4 nights. 

The following day, a freak storm blew in and drenched the island in rain.  We weren't about to sit around all day and my good buddy Bruce Omori, a photographer with a gallery in Hilo (www.extremeexposure.com) drove us into Waipio Canyon.  We made it to the the black sand beach where my kids had a blast playing in the sand in pouring rain.  We then drove around Waipio for a while crossing rivers swelled by all the rains. Bruce's raised Toyota pickup truck worked phenomenally well.  Mahalo to Brudda Bruce for an awesome experience.  To all those naysayers, I have this to say - you can still have lots of fun in the rain.  Besides, how many people get to go to Waipio in pouring rain?

I uploaded a YouTube clip of the Waipio adventure for your viewing pleasure. 

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we drove through the Chain of Craters Road in Volcanoes National Park and did some hiking in various parts of the park.  Also, we drove to the black sand beach at Kalapana.  This year there was actually sand on the black sand beach and we were able to get down to it and play in the surf.  Unfortunately, there was no lava surface flow near Kalapana in an accessible area so I could not hike to the lava, as I did in prior years. 

Here is a YouTube clip of the entire Chain of Craters Drive:

Please note that this clip plays well in higher resolution mode but in lower resolutions there is quite a bit of pixelation. 

We were supposed to meet up with our friend Alex on Wednesday night.  He arrived earlier and decided to hike Mauna Loa, which he started on Sunday morning. If any of you are not aware, Mauna Loa is universally considered the hardest hike in Hawaii - 18 miles one way to the summit.  Alex didn't show up Wednesday night and we all became very concerned.  Seems that all that rain we were getting turned into a huge snowstorm at the mountain tops.  Both Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa were blanketed in snow (the road to the top of Mauna Kea was closed and there was no viewing at the visitor center due to cloud cover).  Alex was caught up in the snowstorm and couldn't get down the mountain.  He ended up sleeping outside in the snow for two nights. Ultimately, the story has a happy ending.  Alex was rescued by helicopter on Thursday morning.  They found him wandering down the mountain near the summit.  He was dehydrated, suffering from altitude sickness and symptoms of frostbite, but alive.  We remain hopeful that he will have a complete recovery.  And now, we can both say that we had near death experiences in Hawaii.

A link to articles about his ordeal can be found here for those who are interested:

http://www.nps.gov/havo/parknews/sverdlov.htm

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/New-York-Hiker-Trapped-Hawaii-Mauna-Loa-Volcano-Snowstorm-242904701.html

At least one good thing came out of this ordeal - we got a free behind the scenes tour of the Jagger Observatory thanks to our new friend Park Ranger John Broward.  Mahalo John!

On Thursday, the sky opened up to a beautiful sunny day over Hilo, which was perfect for our doors off helicopter flight with Paradise Helicopters. Calvin, the owner of the company, personally came out to fly us around the volcano.  Many thanks to Cal for an awesome experience.  A clip of our flight can be seen here:

Towards the end of the clip, you can see a rainbow over a small patch of road in the area previously known as the Royal Gardens subdivision. This patch of road was, for some unexplained reason, spared by the lava flow.  I thought of Parshas Noach when seeing the rainbow and road surrounded by the lava field. 

You can also see the remains of Jack Thompson's house - all that is left is a satellite dish, a water tank, and some roofing material and debris.  Jack was the last holdout in this area until his home was finally claimed by the lava in 2012.  While the house was standing, I wanted to hike out to it and spend the night there and bring Jack some beers.  Unfortunately, Jack was away and when we came back the next time, the house was already gone. 

Later in the day, we drove to South Point and to the green sand beach.  Levi and his very capable Toyota 4Runner drove us to the beach as our rented minivan would never have made it.  A clip of the drive can be seen here.  It is a bit choppy at times because the truck was traveling at a good rate of speed over very bumpy terrain.

After our green sand beach excursion, we drove to the Sheraton in Kona, where we were upgraded to an ocean view room due to my Starwood Gold status.  The view was absolutely gorgeous and we were on the ground floor, which made it convenient to walk around on Shabbos.

On Friday, we did the Dolphin Quest at the Hilton and then went snorkeling and swimming at Kikaua Beach, which is perfect for little kids due to its protective cove.

On Friday night, after the Shabbos meal, we wandered over to Rays on The Bay Restaurant (at the Sheraton) where we were able to watch Manta Rays swimming right behind the restaurant while getting a bit sloshed.  Next time I hope to snorkel with the Manta Rays as I didn't have time this trip.

On Sunday, we went to Greenwell Coffee farm, where we stop by every year for awesome Kona coffee and to take our annual family picture (it has become a tradition). Then it was time to pack out for the return home on a United First Class flight with lay flat bed seats. 

While we were not able to do everything we wanted to do because of time constraints and the weather not fully cooperating, I have this to say to those who don't think the Big Island totally rocks.  Go to Maui, Kauai, or wherever you want.  I'm more than happy to keep the Big Island to myself.  :O)

Can't wait till next time. 

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this trip report. 

[Something Fishy]

Howdy to all.  Here is a trip report from my recent stay on the Big Island, my favorite place on the planet.

Wow, great report.

It's interesting, from everything I've read the road down to Waipio Valley is horrible, but the road to the green sand beach is not so bad. From your videos it seems just the opposite - that road to the beach looks positively nasty.

Do you have any pictures to share (especially from the helicopter)? I'd love to see some.

As an aside, 2 points: The videos aren't playable on mobile devices (including iPads), so you might want to change that (I believe it's a Youtube setting somewhere). Also, try putting some RainX outside the GoPro housing, that way it won't let raindrops accumulate.

[PBaruch]

Wow, great report.

It's interesting, from everything I've read the road down to Waipio Valley is horrible, but the road to the green sand beach is not so bad. From your videos it seems just the opposite - that road to the beach looks positively nasty.

Do you have any pictures to share (especially from the helicopter)? I'd love to see some.

As an aside, 2 points: The videos aren't playable on mobile devices (including iPads), so you might want to change that (I believe it's a Youtube setting somewhere). Also, try putting some RainX outside the GoPro housing, that way it won't let raindrops accumulate.

1. The road to both Waipio and green sand is quite bad in various areas and you definitely need a 4WD to get to both wonderful places.  There are smooth parts of the road to the green sand beach but other areas are really bad.  Do not attempt driving to the green sand beach in anything but a 4WD vehicle.  For those who do not have a 4WD vehicle and do not want to hike to the beach (as we couldn't since I had my wife and little kids there), there are locals who offer rides from the parking area for $15 per person.  Of course, if you can manage it, the hike is really nice and over relatively mild terrain.

2. I have lots of great pictures from the helicopter including close ups of the lava taken on my D800 and 80-400 VR lens (the new one).  I used 1/1000 shutter speed (on shutter priority) and raised the ISO to 2000.  Anything less (for close up photographs) would have resulted in blurry and underexposed photographs.  I will resize and post some pictures later today.

3. The reason the videos are not playable on mobile devices is because of the music I used.  If you use any third party content, the clips will only be playable on a computer.  Please use a regular computer to view the clips.  I apologize and should have mentioned something about this earlier. 

4. As for the RainX, I realized when I was already on the Big Island that I needed it when someone there told me about using it.  Unfortunately, I was unable to find it in the few stores that I went to.  This is my first time using a GoPro so I was somewhat unprepared.  I will definitely be more prepared next time.

[Dan]

Wow, great report.

It's interesting, from everything I've read the road down to Waipio Valley is horrible, but the road to the green sand beach is not so bad. From your videos it seems just the opposite - that road to the beach looks positively nasty.

Do you have any pictures to share (especially from the helicopter)? I'd love to see some.

As an aside, 2 points: The videos aren't playable on mobile devices (including iPads), so you might want to change that (I believe it's a Youtube setting somewhere). Also, try putting some RainX outside the GoPro housing, that way it won't let raindrops accumulate.

The road to Waipio is much better. The problem is the insane grade makes it impossible for anything but vehicles with low-4.

I chickened out halfway to the green sand beach, even with my 4WD. Very easy to get stuck or take a wrong turn there onto an impossible road.
Was far easier to get a green sand beach via the road to the sea. 

[Dan]

Why didn't Alex have a sat phone for hike like that?

[PBaruch]

Why didn't Alex have a sat phone for hike like that?

I asked him the very same question - why not a sat phone or an SMS based emergency system.  Thing is, he didn't think much of this hike or that he would get into any trouble.  Alex is a very experienced hiker.  He hiked Mauna Loa last year without any issues.  That being said, he learned his lesson.  If I went, I would definitely carry a sat phone.

[Bosco]

What activities will I be closer to when staying on the Hilo/Puna side of the island?

Volcanoes, rainforest, thermal ponds, black sand beach, anything else? Which side is closer to driving up mauna kea? Im getting the revealed book but trying to plan some details in the meantime.